# ἐπέχω
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

From ἐπι- (epi-, “upon”) +‎ ἔχω (ékhō, “to have, hold”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /e.pé.kʰɔː/ → /eˈpe.xo/ → /eˈpe.xo/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /e.pé.kʰɔː/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /eˈpe.kʰo/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /eˈpe.xo/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /eˈpe.xo/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /eˈpe.xo/

### Verb

ἐπέχω • (epékhō)
* to have or hold upon
** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 14.241:τῷ κεν ἐπισχοίης λιπαροὺς πόδαςtôi ken episkhoíēs liparoùs pódaswhereon thou mayest rest thy shining feet
** New Testament, Epistle to the Philippians 2:16:λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντεςlógon zōês epékhontesholding forth the word of life
** to hold out to, present, offer
*** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 22.494:τῶν δ’ ἐλεησάντων κοτύλην τις τυτθὸν ἐπέσχεtôn d’ eleēsántōn kotúlēn tis tutthòn epéskheand of them that are touched with pity, one holds forth his cup for a moment
*** 413 BCE, Euripides, Ion 1492:γάλακτι δ’ οὐκ ἐπέσχονgálakti d’ ouk epéskhonI did not offer you milk
*** to extend, spread out
**** 384 BCE – 322 BCE, Aristotle, History of Animals 550b.6
*** to hold, contain
**** 230 CE – 238 CE, Philostratus, Lives of the Sophists 2.24.2
*** to enjoin, impose
**** 500 CE – 565 CE, Procopius, Secret History 17
**** 500 CE – 565 CE, Procopius, The Vandalic War 1.8
** to direct towards, aim at
*** 522 BCE – 443 BCE, Pindar, Olympian Ode 2.89:ἔπεχε νῦν σκοπῷ τόξονépekhe nûn skopôi tóxonNow direct your bow towards the mark
*** (intransitive) to aim at, attack
**** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 17.91:δαιμονίη, τί μοι ὧδ’ ἐπέχεις κεκοτηότι θυμῷ;daimoníē, tí moi hôd’ epékheis kekotēóti thumôi?Good woman, why dost thou assail me with angry heart?
**** 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Pyrrhus 16:ἄνδρα κατιδὼν Ἰταλὸν ἐπέχοντα τῷ Πύρρῳándra katidṑn Italòn epékhonta tôi Púrrhōiobserving that an Italian man was intent upon Pyrrhus
*** to direct one's mind; to intend, purpose
**** 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Aemilius Paulus 8:ἐπεῖχε τῷ πολέμῳ τὴν γνώμηνepeîkhe tôi polémōi tḕn gnṓmēnhe directed his thoughts to war
**** 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 1.80.4:τῷ Κροίσῳ ἄχρηστον ᾖ τὸ ἱππικόν, τῷ δή τι καὶ ἐπεῖχε ἐλλάμψεσθαι ὁ Λυδόςtôi Kroísōi ákhrēston êi tò hippikón, tôi dḗ ti kaì epeîkhe ellámpsesthai ho LudósCroesus' cavalry, which the Lydian intended to distinguish himself, might be of no use
*** to stand facing (in battle)
**** 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 9.31.3
** to hold back, keep in check; to withhold; to confine
*** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 21.244:ἐπέσχε δὲ καλὰ ῥέεθρα ὄζοισιν πυκινοῖσιepéskhe dè kalà rhéethra ózoisin pukinoîsiit held back the fair streams with its thick branches
*** 408 BCE, Euripides, The Phoenician Women 866:Ἐτεοκλέους μὲν οὕνεκ’ ἂν κλῄσας στόμα χρησμοὺς ἐπέσχονEteokléous mèn hoúnek’ àn klḗisas stóma khrēsmoùs epéskhonFor Eteocles I would have closed my lips and withheld all response
*** 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Cato the Younger 28:ἐπέσχε τῇ χειρὶ τὸ στόμα καὶ τὴν φωνὴν ἀπέκλεισενepéskhe têi kheirì tò stóma kaì tḕn phōnḕn apékleisenbut he covered his hand over his mouth and shut off his speech
**** I stay, adjourn, suspend
***** 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 5.63.4:καὶ τὴν κατασκαφὴν ἐπέσχονkaì tḕn kataskaphḕn epéskhonthey abstained from razing it
**** I stop, hinder from
***** 425 BCE, Euripides, Andromache 160:ὧν ἐπισχήσω σ’ ἐγώhôn episkhḗsō s’ egṓbut I shall stop you
*** to wait, pause, refrain
**** 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.139.1:ὅμως δὲ τῇ γέ μοι φαίνεται εἶναι ἀληθὲς οὐκ ἐπισχήσωhómōs dè têi gé moi phaínetai eînai alēthès ouk episkhḗsōbut I will not refrain from saying what seems to me to be true
**** 497 BCE – 405 BCE, Sophocles, Electra 1369:εἰ δ’ ἐφέξετονei d’ ephéxetonif you tarry
**** 525 BCE – 455 BCE, Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 697:ἐπίσχες ἔστ’ ἂν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ προσμάθῃς.epískhes ést’ àn kaì tà loipà prosmáthēis.Wait until you have learned the rest as well.
**** (with genitive) to stop from
***** 430 BCE – 354 BCE, Xenophon, Cyropaedia 4.2.12:καὶ ὅπου ἂν ἀναπαύωνται ἢ ἐπίσχωσι τῆς πορείαςkaì hópou àn anapaúōntai ḕ epískhōsi tês poreíasAnd wherever they were to rest or halt from their march
**** (Scepticism) to suspend judgement, doubt
***** 64 BCE – 24 CE, Strabo, Geography 2.1.11
***** 280 BCE – 220 BCE, Philo of Byzantium, Compendium of Mechanics 1.387
***** 160 CE – 210 CE, Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism 1.196
***** 46 CE – 120 CE, Plutarch, Moralia 2.955c
***** 108 CE, Arrian, Discourses of Epictetus 1.7.5
** to reach or extend over
*** 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Iliad 21.407:ἑπτὰ δ’ ἐπέσχε πέλεθρα πεσώνheptà d’ epéskhe pélethra pesṓnHe stretched over seven roods in his fall
*** 460 BCE – 420 BCE, Herodotus, Histories 7.19.1:ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἐλαίης τοὺς κλάδους γῆν πᾶσαν ἐπισχεῖνapò dè tês elaíēs toùs kládous gên pâsan episkheînof which the shoots spread over the whole earth
** to have power over or occupy
*** 460 BCE – 395 BCE, Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 7.62.4:πλὴν ὅσον ἂν ὁ πεζὸς ἡμῶν ἐπέχῃplḕn hóson àn ho pezòs hēmôn epékhēiexcept as much as our troops occupy
*** to prevail, predominate
**** 200 BCE – 118 BCE, Polybius, The Histories 5.5.6:τῶν ἐτησίων ἐπεχόντωνtôn etēsíōn epekhóntōnwhile the Etesian winds prevail
**** (of time) to continue
***** 366 BCE – 348 BCE, Plato, Theaetetus 165e:ἤλεγχεν ἂν ἐπέχων καὶ οὐκ ἀνιεὶςḗlenkhen àn epékhōn kaì ouk anieìsand would have argued continuously and unceasingly

#### Derived terms

* πᾰρεπέχω (părepékhō)
* προσεπέχω (prosepékhō)
* σῠνεπέχω (sŭnepékhō)

#### Related terms

* ἐπῐσχεδόν (epĭskhedón)
* ἐπῐσχεσῐ́ᾱ (epĭskhesĭ́ā)
* ἐπῐ́σχεσῐς (epĭ́skhesĭs)
* ἐπῐσχετέον (epĭskhetéon)
* ἐπῐσχετῐκός (epĭskhetĭkós)
* ἐπῐσχημᾰτῐ́ζω (epĭskhēmătĭ́zō)
* ἐπῐσχῐ́ζω (epĭskhĭ́zō)
* ἐπῐ́σχῐσμᾰ (epĭ́skhĭsmă)
* ἐπίσχω (epískhō)
* ἐποχεύς (epokheús)
* ἐποχή (epokhḗ)
* ἐφεκῐκός (ephekĭkós)
* ἐφεκτέον (ephektéon)
* ἐφεκτός (ephektós)
* ἔφεξῐς (éphexĭs)

### Further reading

* “ἐπέχω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “ἐπέχω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “ἐπέχω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* ἐπέχω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* ἐπέχω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* “ἐπέχω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G1907 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible